This NY Times article is more proof of GOP woes this cycle:

The tables were loaded with untouched platters of food as Senator Elizabeth Dole rose this week to introduce her party's Senate candidate from Nebraska. Sixty people were supposed to be at the fund-raiser, but Mrs. Dole, the host and leader of the Republican effort to hold the Senate this fall, found just 18 people scattered across an expanse of empty carpet.

In fairness, there is a commonly-held myth among political candidates that "If I can just get so-and-so to host my event, it will be huge." In truth, Elizabeth Dole wasn't going to stand out on the corner and sell tickets to a fundraiser. The sparsely attended event says as much about staff work as it does about her. For example, political operatives should always book a smaller room than they think they will need (this is politics 101, folks).

I also feel like Senator Dole has been the victim of horrible timing. It's tough to be a Republican, right now. People who succeed in good years (like '94, for example) often get more credit than they are due. Conversely, people who fail in a year like 2006 will probably receive more criticism than they are due. (I've said this before -- and it is unpopular to say -- but I firmly believe Jerry Kilgore would have won if his gubernatorial election were in 2004, instead of 2005). As they say in sports, "you're never as good as you look when you win and you're never as bad as you look when you lose."

But, if there is any room for criticism of the NRSC -- and Senator Dole's leadership -- it lies in their unwavering support of liberal Republicans, such as Lincoln Chafee. Granted, it may be part of the NRSC's charter to support all Republicans, but to what degree they support these candidates is a matter of discretion.

I cannot blame conservative donors who choose to eschew the NRSC, and contribute directly to the campaigns of Senators like Rick Santorum in PA. And I can't help but thinking that a few of those empty seats might have been filled if the committee didn't pour money into the race of a Republican Senator who confessed he didn't even vote for President George W. Bush in 2004.

Perhaps just as troubling is her that it appears Dole and other GOP leaders are singing off separate music sheets:

Her recruiting effort in the Michigan Republican Senate primary has put her at cross-purposes with Ken Mehlman, the Republican National Committee chairman. Mrs. Dole has actively pressed the candidacy of a white candidate, Michael Bouchard, who is in a primary against a black candidate, Keith Butler, to challenge Senator Debbie Stabenow.

“I think Ken might have choked a little bit on that one,” Mrs. Dole said with a soft laugh of her Michigan maneuverings. She said she applauded Mr. Mehlman’s overall effort to improve the party’s appeal to blacks, but argued that it was essential for Republicans to field the strongest possible challenger to Ms. Stabenow, and that Mr. Butler was simply a weaker candidate.

Heretofore, Sen. Dole's career has been charmed. But three months is a short amount of time to summon a miracle. As a conservative who wants to hold the Senate, I, for one, am rooting for her success!